DIY: Mielie Peeps ...t-shirt weaving tutorial

"Mielie" is, officially, the Afrikaans word for corn/maize.  But it's also the word all South Africans use for corn (and its by-products), no matter what language they happen to speak. Now, "Mielie" is a small business after my own heart. Employing over 50 artists the mission is "to design and produce innovative, export-quality hand-crafted products using reclaimed materials - with the aim of creating employment and restoring dignity and financial independence to South Africans".  The Mielie Peeps work out of their homes, sell across the planet, share a community garden and create the most amazing things using strips of t-shirt fabric!!

The items pictured here are the tip of the Mielie-berg.  I cannot begin to capture the variety and creativity of these folks.  Wanna learn to weave like a Mielie Peep?  Follow the links to the two free tutorials... after the jump.

This little tutorial will walk you through a small weaving project ... cut up some old t-shirts and make an iPod/Phone or Camera pouch ...(FYI - a "press stud" is a sew-on snap)

Or, if you know your way around crochet, use t-shirt strips to make a runner or bathmat.

(Disclaimer:  This is NOT a sponsored post. My opinions are my own and  I was not reimbursed in any way by Mielie.)